WHY DID TORY WIVES VYING FOR No.10 ALL JOIN THE GREEN PARTY?
FOR the wife of an ambitious politician, accompanying your husband to the pinnacle of the political year creates a sartorial dilemma.
You know that all eyes will be on you and your husband, and as a supportive partner you don’t want to detract attention from him or be scrutinised for the wrong reasons.
But neither do you want to fade into the background. After all, you have an identity of your own, too – and if your husband wants to be considered as PM material, he needs to project an image that’s appealing and memorable.
It’s also likely that you will be middle-aged, with all the lumps and bumps that women prefer to disguise.
So how did Laura Javid, wife of Home Secretary Sajid, Susan Hammond, married to Chancellor Philip, and Lucia Hunt, wife of Foreign Secretary Jeremy, resolve this fashion conundrum?
By striding out in almost identikit flowing emerald green dresses. Of course, it’s not unusual for men to dress in a ‘uniform’ for formal occasions, and Javid, Hammond and Hunt all wore similar dark suits, pale shirts, blue ties and black laceups for the photo calls with their spouses.
But given the broader fashion options available to women the fact that the three wives had made almost identical choices was striking and, at first glance, surprising. Yet there are good reasons why green is the perfect colour for a political wife, sending out all the right messages.
Colour consultant Jules Standish said the strong emerald green they chose represents strength, supportiveness and loyalty, adding: ‘It suggests lots of good qualities in their relationships.’
As a colour in the centre of the rainbow, green is a shade that will never be overpowering, so it is a good choice for a person in a supportive role.
And given current uncertainties in the Tory Party it’s also highly appropriate. ‘It’s the
colour of harmony and balance, so it helps project a calm image,’ Jules said – all qualities you might look for in a leader.
Jules, author of The Essential Guide To Mindful Dressing, says it’s linked to growth and beginnings, adding: ‘It helps the wearer move into new possibilities and challenges.’
In addition, it’s right up to date. Green was prevalent on the catwalk this season, from Valentino gowns to Jasper Conran. It’s easy to wear because it suits nearly every colouring and is particularly flattering for 40-plus complexions, which will have lost some of their youthful bloom.
It’s also a politically neutral colour – for this reason red (Labour), yellow (Lib Dem) and purple (Ukip) are ruled out. Blue looks too presumptuous for a Conservative wife.
Importantly, from a political point of view, green is popular on the high street – from M&S to Boden and Next. So it’s a fashionable look that’s accessible to all. In £45 polyester M&S, was Susan Hammond hoping to project the image of a thrifty but proudly patriotic Chancellor? The dress is current season but already sold out, suggesting she has a canny fashion eye.
Lucia Hunt and Laura Javid, however, went more upmarket, with Lucia in a woven silk Diane Von Furstenberg shirt dress carrying a £360 price tag. A US brand, it was perhaps appropriate for the wife of the Foreign Secretary.
Laura Javid, meanwhile, wore the most expensive frock of all – a £3 Jessie dress by Libelula – a British label, making it appropriate for the Home Secretary’s wife. The firm says it’s a dress to feel ‘elegant and fun’ in.
Perhaps the biggest endorsement of the look is Samantha Cameron’s choice of the green Phillip Lim dress she wore to the 2008 Tory conference.